The Turin event: tests, measurement and smart factory

In these times of digital change, A&T 2018 will focus on the fundamental role of metrology, on the high specialization of personnel and on a functioning Smart Factory made to measure for SMEs. Everything considered from an Industry 4.0 standpoint

by Silvia Foglio

The “hot” season for trade shows has begun, and there are only a few weeks to go before the appointment in Turin with A&T – Automation & Testing. The event, dedicated to robotics, tests and measurement and innovative technologies will be held in Piedmont’s capital on April 18th-20th, following a 2017 edition with over 12,300 visitors (a 32% increase) and 418 exhibitors on 20,000 square metres of floor space (+50%).
There will be many innovations in this twelfth edition: not just “Coaching 4.0”, a complete training program which shows how to introduce innovation in companies, but even Company 4.0, an authentic functioning smart factory made to measure for SMEs. In the framework of the interconnected, smart and more performing factory, Piedmont’s Digital Innovation Hub, the National Digital Innovation Hub and the main entrepreneurial associations therefore decided to promote this initiative, which will be found both physically and conceptually at the heart of A&T 2018.

A tour within an authentic smart factory
Visitors will be accompanied on a 25-minute tour, during which they will go through the Company 4.0 work stations and follow the steps which will bring their product from the order to delivery, after going through production and quality control. They will be able to receive concrete information on the functioning of the smart factory and on the integration process of the different technologies; at the end of the visit, the Digital Innovation Hub’s information desk will be available for further in-depth information. Besides technologies, an important space will be provided to new professional profiles and to the evolution of current ones in the manufacturing industry, to underline the important of updating personnel’s competence when faced with the radical changes which are going on.

The role of metrology in the Industry 4.0 model
This year A&T will also strengthen its offer dedicated to the test and measurement world: Accredia (the only national accreditation body) will once more be one of the main partners of the Turin-based event, which will focus on the essential role of metrology in the Industry 4.0 model. In order to remain competitive on the market, the reliability of the products and production process is fundamental. From this standpoint, with respect to previous editions the cooperation with Accredia will be more complete: the synergy developed over the years gave rise to the initiative of hosting in Turin a congress to present the new version of ISO/IEC 17025, the reference norm for laboratories, which was very recently updated.
This initiative is an addition to the customary annual Convention of accredited calibration laboratories, to the update of the state of the art regarding reference materials, to focused specialized sessions on metrology and to the information desk made available by the organization.